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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22423630">I Thought It Was Life or Death. It Wasn't. It Was Thursday.</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/SichengForTheWinWin/pseuds/SichengForTheWinWin'>SichengForTheWinWin</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Thursday From Hell [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>EXO (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Attempt at Humor, Byun Baekhyun-centric, Canon Universe, Hurt/Comfort, Kissing, M/M, Multi, One Shot</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-01-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-01-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 17:42:00</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>8,866</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22423630</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/SichengForTheWinWin/pseuds/SichengForTheWinWin</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Kim Jongdae is desperately in love at multiple points in his life, but Byun Baekhyun doesn't care.  He only cares about himself and his boyfriend, Park Chanyeol.  And also their mutual friend Huang Zitao, but he's not actually that important to this story.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Byun Baekhyun/Kim Jongdae | Chen, Byun Baekhyun/Kim Jongdae | Chen/Park Chanyeol, Byun Baekhyun/Park Chanyeol, Kim Jongdae | Chen/Original Male Character(s), Kim Jongdae | Chen/Park Chanyeol</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Thursday From Hell [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1613695</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>30</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>I Thought It Was Life or Death. It Wasn't. It Was Thursday.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Yongsik is one of my favorite ocs.  Please take care of him.</p>
<p>Also, I call it Baekyeol because that’s what I learned first, not because I have anything against the (less than) recent upheaval in ship names, including Chanbaek.  It’s just kind of instinct.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Looking back on it now, Baekhyun realised how very stupid it all was.  No one </span>
  <em>
    <span>really </span>
  </em>
  <span>cared besides the company, and it was uncomfortably easy to keep things hidden from them.  Jongdae was the only one who really had anything to worry about, but it turned out just fine for him, so there was no reason for Baekhyun to have acted the way he did.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Still, he reminded himself, at the time people online were very vocal about their ability to ruin not only Baekhyun’s life but everyone in the group’s and that was affecting them all a bit differently, making them be unnecessarily careful about rumours.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>In hindsight, he definitely could have handled it a bit better.  Then maybe he wouldn’t have been left in China with nothing but a dead phone, a broken charger, about 12 cents in change, and a mask.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>To be fair, it was all Chanyeol’s fault.  Baekhyun had told him that getting Zitao that stupid prank birthday gift was a bad idea, but he hadn’t listened, and now Baekhyun was stuck inside of a convenience store on the outskirts of town, trying desperately not to be seen, not look suspicious, and </span>
  <em>
    <span>not move</span>
  </em>
  <span>.  Minseok was supposed to be here an hour ago to pick him up, he’d heard the person behind the counter switch out twice already, and it was fucking cold!</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The clanging of the bell above the front entrance moved Baekhyun closer to the door, listening intently for Minseok.  All hope was lost when a female voice spoke with the man behind the counter, saying something conversational about the weather.  So much for friendship.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Baekhyun stalked back across the room, sitting on the table with some weird smelling things to wait.  Minseok was so dead, and Baekhyun had just been trying to help.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It took 17 more minutes, coming to a total of 83, before someone started knocking on the door of the bathroom.  Baekhyun had missed them coming in, so he jumped and knocked over the bowl of dried fruits.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Baekhyun, it’s Minseok.  Come out.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Baekhyun’s not actually sure what exactly happened, but the next thing he remembers is Minseok gasping that he can’t breathe as Baekhyun squeezed him as hard as possible in the middle of a convenience store.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I hate you so much.  I’ve been here for hours!  Tao’s birthday is almost over!  Where were you?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Minseok almost got whiplash from Baekhyun’s change in mood, being shoved away harshly and glared at.  It was more adorable than anything, but Baekhyun was never very fierce. He was always much better at just guilting people.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m sorry, Baek.  There was a car accident and traffic was backed up.  Do you have everything? If we don’t leave soon, we’ll be late.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah.  Come on.”  Baekhyun gave up his angry state to trudge after Minseok to the car, grumbling pathetically.  It wasn’t any fun to be mad anyways; no one gave you things.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They drove in silence through the backroads.  Minseok had the radio on and was humming along, but they didn’t talk much.  Baekhyun explained how he’d gotten stuck in the first place, but Minseok just nodded along and told Baekhyun not to worry, Zitao would love the effort no matter what Baekhyun ended up grabbing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They were greeted by Junmyeon yelling at Jongdae when they opened the door.  Jongdae didn’t seem to care, though, and just kept doing whatever he was doing on his laptop, lounging on the couch.  When Minseok closed the door, a bit louder than he normally did, Junmyeon spun around and Jongdae looked up, curious.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Where have you been?  It’s been more than an hour!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Traffic was hell,” was all Minseok gave before disappearing up the stairs and into the room he and Han shared.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, I’m glad you’re safe, just don’t run off again, okay?  At least tell a manager.” Junmyeon stalked off, disappearing down the short hall into his room.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You have no idea how completely insane Jun is.”  Jongdae set his computer down and jumped onto Baekhyun’s back, nuzzling into his neck.  “He was convinced you had been murdered and they’d taken Minseok for ransom.” Baekhyun started to carry Jongdae up the stairs, traveling to his room.  “And, even worse, he wasn’t even worrying about your safety, he was just worried the group would fall apart without you. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I</span>
  </em>
  <span> say he’s crazy, because </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span> have no talent anyway, but I kind of get his point with Minseok.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Baekhyun dropped Jongdae onto his bed and flopped on top of him in retaliation, laughing at the sounds of distress coming from the lump under him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay, while I love to see the subgroups getting along so well, is it really necessary to do this in </span>
  <em>
    <span>my </span>
  </em>
  <span>room?  I want to sleep and I’m sure Chanyeol won’t mind if you do it in yours.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Both boys turned from their cuddle war to see Zitao standing in the doorway, hair dripping onto his slightly damp shirt.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Tao!”  Baekhyun scrambled up and raced past the boy in the doorway, down the stairs, and into the living room where he’d left the bag.  He grabbed it and ran back as fast as he could, startling Tao, who had yet to move.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I got you something.  Here.” He shoved the small box into Zitao’s hands, feeling a wave of satisfaction at the mixture of confusion and excitement on his face.  “Hurry, Tao-ah! Your birthday will be over in… 4 minutes!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tao carefully opened the box and a huge smile split his face in half.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Thank you, hyung.”  Tao hugged Baekhyun tightly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I wanna see!” Jongdae whined, trying to pry Baekhyun from Zitao’s arms.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Baekhyun had been desperate, having panicked when his dongsaeng hadn’t laughed as much as he thought was appropriate, so he’d grabbed his keys as soon as he thought no one would notice and took off, going from store to store to find something to replace that stupid inflatable walker that Chanyeol had thought would be funny because “he’s getting old.”  Baekhyun had argued that they were older than him, and thus the joke was kind of pointless, but Chanyeol hadn’t listened. Baekhyun ended up stranded when his car broke down outside that cursed convenience store and, while it was rather convenient, it was not what he needed. Nevertheless, he’d been able to find a cool hat with blue words scribbled on it and some sunglasses that matched and then hid himself in the restroom.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“But hyung, you didn’t need to get me anything.  You already got me that cool jacket and-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Just take the present and go with it.  If you complain too much, he may take it back.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Zitao nodded slowly, looking confused for a few seconds, before turning, placing the hat and glasses on his desk, and climbing into bed without another word.  Jongdae laughed softly and flipped out the light, walking Baekhyun downstairs to his room.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That was really nice of you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah.  I’m a great guy.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jongdae smacked his arm and left, laughing, Baekhyun to stare after him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That was the first night Chanyeol crept into Baekhyun’s bed since before debut.  He’d fallen asleep during “Congratulations, you’re not as much of an asshole as me!” cuddles.  He promised he wouldn’t make a habit of it. Baekhyun didn’t mind when he did.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re always in the same bed anyway!  So why do you need two rooms?” One of the managers, Yongsik, was fighting a losing battle with Baekhyun about the hotel rooms.  Everyone knew just how stubborn Baekhyun could get when he wanted something and, even though he knew for a fact that Chanyeol would end up in his bed, he also knew that, one way or another, the fans would find out that they had one too few rooms and they’d jump to conclusions. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yongsik knew this too, but he was still fighting just to fight.  He was the son of one of the higher-ups in the company, which was how he’d gotten such a big job after the loss of two Chinese members put all the cameras on them.  He was the youngest of all their managers too, barely coming in a year older than Minseok. He wasn’t the youngest person who worked with them, (most of the make-up artists were Baekhyun’s age) but he was the closest to them, always willing to joke around with them like one of the guys.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yongie, just stop.  You know he’s not going to let up.”  Jongdae was there again, falling over Yongsik’s shoulders with a smile.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay, first, that’s ‘hyung’ to you, and second, you’re just a brat.”  Yongsik walked away, approaching a person from the company to speak about the planning, including the rooms.  Jongdae latched onto Baekhyun next, laughing at Yongsik’s dramatics.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He’s so cute.”  He smiled.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wait, what?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, please.  You don’t get to tell me you don’t think he’s at least a little attractive.  I’ve seen the way you stare at his ass.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Baekhyun spluttered.  “I don’t stare at his ass, I-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sure you don’t.  And Chanyeol’s not in love with you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jongdae disappeared before Baekhyun could say anything, leaving him stunned and confused.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That was the first night Chanyeol kissed him, grabbing Baekhyun’s face when confronted and slamming into him.  He’d been so in love with Baekhyun for so long that he just had to take the opportunity when it was given to him.  He promised he wouldn’t make a habit of it. Baekhyun didn’t mind when he did.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Sehun needed more lines.  Everyone knew it, including the management that did most of the line distribution.  Yongsik had been fighting for equal lines since he took the job, when he noticed how many Han had gotten and how few Yifan used to get.  He’d done extensive research and arrived with statistics on just how many lines all of them had received since they gone from 12 to 10. Yongsik was a life saver.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But it was too late.  The EXODUS lines were already done and out, giving Sehun a total of one in the title track.  He had a few more moments in the video, but he was such a background character in the song that everything felt off.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Even worse, one of the directors was incompetent, and kept making them refilm shots they had done because it “wasn’t perfect.”  The only one they really needed to redo was the first one when Junmyeon had caught his sleeve on the windshield wipers and the twelve million times Jongdae tripped over the couch, laughing the whole way down.  But, of course, it’s not perfect, and they must be perfect, so they spend more than </span>
  <em>
    <span>four days </span>
  </em>
  <span>filming it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Both Baekhyun and Jongdae are made-up and camera ready, waiting for their turn to film their part with Kyungsoo and Jongin.  Baekhyun’s lounging on a couch, trying not to look suspicious as he watches Chanyeol go over the dance again, mumbling the words under his breath.  Jongdae’s curled up like a cat in his lap, practically purring at the hand stroking through his hair. Baekhyun knew the hairstylists would skin him alive if they saw what he was doing, but he thought Jongdae’s hair looked better a little mussed up anyways.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re not being near as subtle as you think you are.”  Jongdae’s voice startled Baekhyun and he froze, eyes widening as he looked away quickly.  Jongdae smirked up at him for a few seconds before actually sitting up properly, sitting in Baekhyun’s lap now and putting wrinkles in his clothes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Everyone can totally see you two have a thing.  Why don’t you ask him out or some shit?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Because,” Baekhyun shoved Jongdae onto the floor, “I don’t have a thing for him.  And, even if I did, propositioning him would get me kicked out of the company so fast even </span>
  <em>
    <span>your</span>
  </em>
  <span> head would spin.  So fuck off.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jongdae did not, in fact, fuck off.  Actually, he sauntered over to Chanyeol, winking over his shoulder at Baekhyun as he went, and placed a hand on his hip.  Chanyeol jumped back at the contact, not having noticed Jongdae’s approach, but quickly leaned in when Jongdae started speaking.  Baekhyun watched as Chanyeol nodded eagerly, not even glancing at him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And then Jongdae’s hands were all over Chanyeol, helping him practice the dance or something equally innocent in a way that very much did not look innocent.  They moved together, Chanyeol intensely watching Jongdae roll his body before copying to the best of his ability. Baekhyun didn’t even care that he was staring now, very openly glaring at the pair.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He knew what Jongdae was doing.  He was proving his point by making him jealous.  But he didn’t know that Baekhyun and Chanyeol always slept in the same bed, curled around each other and murmuring sweet things about their days and their love for each other.  Jongdae didn’t know that Chanyeol had developed a habit of stealing kisses from the corners of Baekhyun’s mouth when he was excited and that Baekhyun would kiss him hard when he needed to relax.  Jongdae didn’t know, because they had both agreed to see what happened before telling anyone anything. It was easier that way, and they wouldn’t get in trouble with the company. They just had to restrain themselves around the others, making sure to not just grab the other and kiss them in times of high emotion.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Baekhyun watched them for a few minutes, knowing that Chanyeol didn’t see what was going on but Jongdae knew Baekhyun was glaring at them.  He eventually got up the nerve to ask an assistant just how much longer he would have to wait. She informed him that something was wrong with one of the cameras and that nothing would be filmed for at least another hour, just enough time for a professional to come and fix it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Baekhyun calmly thanked her, bowing as he left her, and walked over to his friends.  Jongdae was exaggeratedly checking Chanyeol out as he ran through the whole thing again, standing back to watch him, so Baekhyun slid his hand up under the hem of Jongdae’s shirt and wrapped his fingers around his hip bone.  Jongdae jumped and tried to spin around, but Baekhyun pushed himself into his back, hooking his chin over his shoulder and moving his hands around to link over his stomach, under his shirt.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chanyeol froze at the new addition to the party, staring at the two of them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, Channie, I’ve gotta talk to you about something.  They said we won’t be doing much for the next hour, so…?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chanyeol nodded nervously, eyes darting around the room as if looking for help; but he let Baekhyun pull him out of the room, not noticing the smirk Baekhyun threw back at Jongdae.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That was the first time Chanyeol blew him, situated between Baekhyun legs in a supply closet far enough down the hall for his moans not to be heard.  Baekhyun didn’t tell him why he was being so forward, and Chanyeol didn’t ask, humming around his length. He promised he wouldn’t make a habit of it.  Baekhyun didn’t mind when he did.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Zitao had been weird up to the point when he left, and he must have given the weirdness to Yixing on his way out the door.  Zitao had been flustered around Baekhyun when alone with him and seemed to forget how to speak Korean when Chanyeol was in the room, and then Yixing just flat out refused to be in the same room as either of them.  Chanyeol, poor, sweet, innocent Chanyeol, couldn’t figure out what was wrong, and begged Yixing to spend more time with him. Yixing, being the kind soul he was, agreed to have a movie marathon, but he still was awkward around Baekhyun, which is what tipped him off.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m going to </span>
  <em>
    <span>kill </span>
  </em>
  <span>you!  I’m going to strangle you and leave your carcass in the middle of nowhere for the vultures to eat you!  I’m going to cut off all your fingers and break your knees and it’s going to hurt a hell of a lot, but you would deserve it!”  Baekhyun hit Jongdae with the pillow over and over as he rambled about the different ways he’d mangle his body. He was straddling Jongdae to get the best angle at his face, but Jongdae was laughing while he wriggled and tried to get free.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Baekhyun!” he shrieked, kicking out with his legs.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Why did you tell them?!  Why?! If I had wanted anyone to know, I would have told them!  It was not your place, and you deserve what’s coming to you! What were you thinking?!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Stop!” Jongdae yelled.  In a brief fit of strength, he grabbed the pillow and yanked it from Baekhyun’s hands, throwing it across the room at Yixing’s vacant bed.  “I was thinking that maybe they’d want to know that two of their bandmates were fucking, but it seems I was wrong.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Of course you were wrong!  You’re just lucky Chanyeol’s oblivious most of the time, because he hasn’t figured out what you did.  You’d have hell on your hands if he did. I’d personally hire a collection of assassins to take you out.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Aw, that’s sweet.  Are they paying?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay, fuck you-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, please.”  Jongdae lifted his hips slightly and Baekhyun wobbled, having to grab Jongdae’s shoulders to keep from falling.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I hate you, you know that?  You make my life a living hell.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jongdae just rolled his eyes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I need to go tell Chanyeol.  But don’t think this is over. I’m going to string your organs around the living room like Christmas lights.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Baekhyun rolled off Jongdae and moved to stalk away, but Jongdae was fast and caught his arm.  Baekhyun could actually physically feel the shift in the room as they stood there, not facing each other, waiting for something to happen.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m really sorry.”  It came out as barely a whisper, but the fingers wrapped around Baekhyun’s wrist said it all.  “I didn’t think it would bother you this much. I wouldn’t have done it if I’d known.” When Baekhyun turned around, Jongdae looked slightly broken, nervous he’d be rejected, so he pulled him into his arms, always a sucker for free hugs.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s okay.  It would’ve come out eventually.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And I’m sorry that Tao was so weird, and now he’s gone.  And Yixing’s being weird and it’s my fault and-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Jongdae,” Baekhyun cut him off, “it’s okay.”  And after a moment of silence, he added, “Maybe you should take a nap; you seem really tired.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Baekhyun peeled himself from Jongdae’s arms and made the long trek downstairs, finding Chanyeol lounging on the couch, Yixing curled up in his arms, asleep.  The movie was still playing but Chanyeol didn’t seem to be paying much attention, staring at Baekhyun as if waiting for answers.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We need to talk.  Come to our room once Yixing wakes up.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That was the first night Chanyeol actually broke down, cradled in Baekhyun’s arms and blubbering about losing everything he’d worked so hard for.  He loved his life and didn’t want to lose it to something so stupid.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He told Baekhyun just how much he loved him and all that sappy crap.  He promised he wouldn’t make a habit of it. Baekhyun didn’t mind when he did.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Kyungsoo, oddly enough, seemed rather obsessed with their relationship once they officially told everyone.  He said them it reminded him of one of those stupid dramas he’d watched and he wanted to see how this turned out.  Chanyeol thought that was funny. Baekhyun was mildly offended. He was very helpful though, coming up with believable lies to give the company to cover for them; so Baekhyun let him be.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And it would have worked fine, if Jongdae didn’t screw everything up.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He had a weird tendency to forget what he was supposed to say and how he was supposed to act, making the company suspicious and thus heaping more work on Kyungsoo’s shoulders.  (Although Kyungsoo said he didn’t mind, actually enjoyed it. Baekhyun was more confused than anything.)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chanyeol was fast asleep on his bed having collapsed almost as soon as they got back to the dorm from a date.  Baekhyun had done the cute boyfriend-y thing and made sure he was out of his skinny jeans and shoes before sleeping, but he was soon dragged from the room by shouting.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He found Kyungsoo and Jongdae in the living room at each other’s throats, Junmyeon’s back disappearing behind a slamming door.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What the fuck?  Guys, they’re sleeping!” Baekhyun shouted over the two of them, hoping not to wake anyone up.  He’d been dealing with these boys for years now, and knew exactly how everyone would react when they didn’t get enough sleep.  He did not feel like working with any of that tomorrow morning.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Jongdae screwed up again.  He told Yongsik that you were on a date!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Jongdae!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I didn’t mean to!  I just forgot for a second and let it slip.  I swear. And he promised not to say anything to anyone.  He thinks you’re cute together and-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“But you screwed up.  Again. That’s the point.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jongdae actually looked like he might cry.  He had sat down on the sofa behind him when Baekhyun had shouted and was looking up at them as they ganged up on him.  Kyungsoo looked absolutely livid and Baekhyun guessed he was pretty much the same.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But, did it really matter?  Yongsik pretty much knew already, and he always stuck to his promises.  Maybe it would be okay.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Baekhyun sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose to ease the oncoming headache.  “Kyungsoo, go to bed. You’ll want to rip your own eyes out if you don’t get some sleep.”  Kyungsoo startled and stared at Baekhyun, confused, but followed orders, disappearing into the room he shared with Jongin.  They were some soft murmurs from inside, but Jongin had been in bed before Chanyeol and Baekhyun had left, so it wasn’t a surprise that he would be more than a little asleep by now.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m so sorry.  I keep screwing things up for you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Baekhyun sat next to Jongdae and pulled him to his chest, letting him cry.  Jongdae didn’t like to cry in front of people. He always tried to be at his best for everyone, encouraging and constant.  He felt like he had to be the smiley one a lot to keep spirits up. But he must have had a long few days, or felt incredibly bad, because he sobbed into Baekhyun’s chest, wrapping himself tightly in his arms.  He fell asleep like that, with Baekhyun’s fingers threading softly through his hair and humming quietly in his ear.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That was the first night Chanyeol didn’t kiss Baekhyun to sleep, softly whispering confessions of love.  Baekhyun joined Jongdae, asleep on the couch, and everyone just let him sleep through most of the next day, going about their business a few notches quieter.  Chanyeol didn’t get jealous, saying that he knew that Baekhyun was in love with him, but that he loved Jongdae.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chanyeol kissed Baekhyun hard, thanking him with soft moans into his mouth.  He promised he wouldn’t make a habit of it. Baekhyun didn’t mind when he did.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Yongsik was being chewed out by his father, but he didn’t look as if he minded.  His eyes kept flitting behind his father’s shoulder at EXO, who were pretty much all trying to pretend it wasn’t happening.  Minseok was whispering something with Jongdae, keeping a wary eye on the pair, but everyone else was doing a good job at acting as if their favorite manager wasn’t about to be fired.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I should have you thrown out on the streets!  You would deserve it! You just waltz in here and try to unhinge my life’s work.  This is everything I have, and you don’t seem to care! You’re just like your good for nothing mother-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But that must have been a step too far.  The slap echoed through the room, drawing every eye to the two of them.  Yongsik’s father, who no one actually knew the name of, had a look of utter shock etched on his face, his fingers softly brushing at a bright red mark on his cheek.  Yongsik’s indifference had melted into anger, and everyone was put slightly on edge by it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You will not talk about my mother that way.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That was all he said before he stormed from the room, slamming the door behind him.  His father stood frozen for a few seconds, before turning slowly and plastering a fake smile on his face when addressing the guys.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m so sorry for the interruption.  I’ll just leave you in the hands of the stylists, but I can assure you that my son will no longer be working with you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The group spoke up in a wave of outrage, trying to convince him to let Yongsik stay, but he just turned and left, pretending he couldn’t hear them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was silent for way too long, the only sound being Chanyeol pulling Baekhyun into his lap and leaving a couple reassuring kisses down his neck.  They sat in a silent room for a few more minutes before being joined by some stylists, who seemed as skittish as their clients.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Baekhyun sat in one of the chairs first, trying to distance himself from Chanyeol to avoid suspicion.  He barely noticed when Jongdae left the room, but Minseok mumbled something about him being an idiot from next to him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What were they fighting about?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>No one answered Jongin, letting the room be filled with the sound of music playing softly from a phone and makeup brushes being dropped.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Baekhyun’s makeup artist was Alaska, an American girl who had a bad habit of mumbling under her breath in a language no one can understand.  She had been Kris’s personal artist, but when he left, she’d had enough experience to work on people whose language she barely spoke. Baekhyun couldn’t understand what she was saying, but she kept mentioning Jongdae, and it was making him anxious.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When she finished with him, she patted him on the shoulder and asked in a lilting accent if he could bring Jongdae to her.  She needed to get him done quickly after losing time to the fight.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Baekhyun nodded and left her to clean, disappearing from the room without as much as a few words to any of the guys.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It took Baekhyun twelve forevers to find Jongdae, but he wished it had taken more.  He heard Jongdae’s voice from one of the conference rooms and, without even questioning why he would be there, he walked in.  And froze at the sight before him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yongsik was laying on the conference table, his legs dangling off the end, with Jongdae hovering between them.  His hands were under Jongdae’s shirt, scratching softly at the skin on his back. Jongdae was balanced on his elbows, his head buried into Yongsik’s neck.  It wasn’t hard for Baekhyun to figure out what exactly was going on with the sounds leaving both of their mouths, leaking into the empty room.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Baekhyun ran, slamming the door behind him on his way out.  Yongsik and Jongdae. Jongdae and Yongsik. How long had this been happening?  How had none of them known? How was it that Jongdae kept slipping up about Baekyeol while still able to keep his own relationship hidden?  And how long had Jongdae been gay? Fuck, what was he supposed to do?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He almost ran straight past their dressing room, trying desperately to get the sounds of Yongsik moaning Jongdae’s name from his head.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When he burst through the door, all eyes flashed to him.  There was a weird silence where Baekhyun tried to catch his breath and splutter through an explanation, although he didn’t even know what he was trying to say.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He never really got a chance to say any actual words, because Minseok and Yixing were on him in seconds, dragging him from the room by his arms and down the hall, away from The Conference Room of Nightmares.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yongsik… and Jongdae… they were… and-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, we know.  They’ve been together for about a year now.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s what his father was yelling at him about.  He’s afraid the information will leak and the band will crash.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yixing and Minseok both worked to calm Baekhyun down, explaining everything as best they could.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yongsik and Jongdae weren’t actually </span>
  <em>
    <span>together </span>
  </em>
  <span>together.  They just used each other to get off.  It had started when Jongdae had kissed him to calm him down after Yongsik’s girlfriend had broken up with him, threatening to leak all the information he’d ever told her about his job.  Since then, they’d gone to each other whenever they needed to relax or let off steam. When Yongsik’s father threatened to fire him, Jongdae must have seeked him out with the intention of helping him destress and deal with this rationally.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t understand why you’re being so weird about this.  I’m sure you and Chanyeol have done much worse.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Minseok was quick to hit Yixing, saying something about not wanting to know the intricacies of their sex life, but Baekhyun wasn’t listening anymore.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They hadn’t, actually.  They’d never had a place to do anything past blow each other without being discovered, and, when they’d talked about it, they’d agreed to wait until they didn’t have to worry.  Baekhyun knew that Chanyeol thought of him when he got off in the shower, and he thought of Chanyeol’s dick when fingering himself, but they’d never actually done </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yixing left Minseok to make up some story to tell everyone to explain Baekhyun’s weird actions and walk Baekhyun back to the room.  He still wasn’t finished and was one of the first needed to get dressed, so they didn’t argue. Minseok said he’d cover it, and carefully walked Baekhyun back to the dressing room, warning him about acting weird if Jongdae or Yongsik or both were in there.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jongdae was there, looking as if he’d been told an assassin was after him.  His eyes kept flicking between everyone in the room, not fully making eye contact, but inspecting.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was easy for him to figure out it had been Baekhyun that had caught him when Minseok patted his shoulder softly and walked over to him.  Minseok whispered something and Jongdae nodded solemnly, making brief eye contact with Baekhyun, before disappearing in on himself.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That evening, they were staying in a hotel room, and they all shared walls, having the rooms right next to each other, but Baekhyun had had enough. That was the first night Chanyeol fucked him, Baekhyun doing his best to muffle his moans into the mattress.  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chanyeol was rough and hard, moaning filthy words into Baekhyun’s ear, but soft and careful when he cleaned Baekhyun up, leaving soft kisses over the bruises he’d left on his thighs.  He promised he wouldn’t make a habit of it. Baekhyun didn’t mind when he did.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Yongsik wasn’t fired.  He continued to be their manager, even after he called everything off with Jongdae and got himself a wife.  Jongdae didn’t seem to mind, not acting any different around him, although Baekhyun did notice that he was a bit more sexually frustrated, complaining more about being single.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chanyeol and Baekhyun kept everything perfectly secret, letting very few people in on their relationship.  The guys bugged them that they were too touchy-feely in front of them, but then would light-heartedly joke that they were breaking up if they weren’t always absorbed in each other.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Minseok and Yixing started acting cute and fluffy together, although they never actually said anything, even after Junmyeon cornered Minseok about the moans coming from their room.  Jongdae, who shared with them, didn’t say anything either, so everyone just let it be.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was discovered that Kyungsoo wrote EXO fanfiction in his spare time.  Sehun was permanently scarred by some of the things he’d written about him.  They had a chain email going with links to all his stories. Some of them were funny and it was easy to forget it was fanfiction.  Some of it made them miss their China line.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jongin got asked to help choreograph for another group, so he wasn’t in the dorm as much.  Everyone was proud of him, even Yixing, who was slightly jealous that he wasn’t asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>All in all, the next year and a half went as smoothly as could be expected.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Their newest single had come out, harkening to a new album that was supposed to go up soon.  They had originally thought to go for a royalty concept, but then, somehow (Yongsik), it had spread through the fandom, so they’d put that on hold for the repackaged version and went for a more pastel, confusing concept.  They based the video off of a book that Yongsik had read years back, and threw a bunch of weird things into it in the hopes of stirring the same kind of reaction that BTS had gotten with their Spring Day video.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It had worked.  A bit too well, in fact.  Every single interview wanted them to explain the concept, and it was confusing to even them, so it didn’t go well.  Eventually, Kyungsoo picked up a technique from Seventeen’s Woozi and scripted a response, making everyone memorize it for if they got asked.  People quickly stopped asking.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But then they had the tour.  It was bright as all hell in China, so Baekhyun had to wear a very stupid hat every time he went anywhere.  They’d gone for pink to match the concept and, while he absolutely loved having pink hair, (mainly because Chanyeol loved it), it shone in the Beijing sun and drew attention to him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Baekhyun!  Chanyeol! Get your asses down here!  We’re going to be late!” With his sweater balled over his head and Chanyeol’s mouth on his dick, he couldn’t tell who was yelling at him, but he was practically screaming in pleasure the next second, so he didn’t really care.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chanyeol kissed him hard, licking into his mouth and leaving the taste of himself on his tongue, but he ran off quickly when Kyungsoo, (he could tell who it was now that he wasn’t about to orgasm), yelled that he was going to drag them to the airport by their tongues.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Baekhyun pulled his bag down the stairs, hitting it on every step, following close behind Chanyeol, whose face had yet to stop flushing red and who seemed like he was going to collapse with exhaustion.  Baekhyun knew it was an act to get sympathy, and, when it worked and Yixing tucked him under his arm, (even being a few inches shorter), Baekhyun almost threw a fit.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chanyeol was whisked away, leaving Baekhyun to sit by himself on the small bus, playing with his phone.  He knew Chanyeol would sit with him if he could, but Yixing was asleep in his lap already and Chanyeol wasn’t heartless enough to move him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They slowed to a stop at a gas station in the middle of nowhere, giving everyone a chance to stretch their legs and maybe get something to eat.  Baekhyun was the first person to actually leave the bus, everyone else lagging back.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jongdae joined him not long after, dragging him by his hand to where they weren’t on the security camera but still in sight on Yongsik, who was on the phone with his wife.  (They’d gotten married when he found out she was pregnant and so he checked up on his sweet little Hani every day for a couple hours.)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay, this is going to sound weird, but I need you to listen to everything I have to say before you speak, okay?”  Jongdae looked nervous, so Baekhyun just nodded, trying to convey both worry and encouragement in his eyes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay, so, I’ve already talked to Chanyeol.  You have no idea how long I’ve been having this conversation with him and, we’ve finally come to an agreement.  And I know he hasn’t talked to you about this, but he said he felt it would be best to come from me and, if this goes badly, you can run to him for comfort.  He thought that would be best.” Jongdae stopped for a long time, making Baekhyun even more nervous. “I’ve even told Yongsik. He said he wants me to be happy after everything the two of us have been through, and this would make me happy.  So unbelievably happy. You have no idea how much I need something like this in my life. I miss it so much.” He went quiet again, almost prompting Baekhyun to speak, but he shook his head and held up a hand to ask for a minute. “I…. Um, Baekhyun, you are one of my best friends in the whole world.  I remember when I met you. You were so nice to me at the tryouts and, I haven’t ever told you this, but I went home that day and cried because I just knew that you would be getting in and I wouldn’t, but I was happy too, because you deserved it. More than I did.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Jongdae-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, wait.  I’m almost done.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I care so much about you, Baekhyun.  I know how happy Chanyeol makes you. I know how long you two spent circling each other nervously before anything happened.  I know how in love with him you are. I know how important that relationship is to you, and I’m sorry. I’m sorry that I have to tell you this.  I’m sorry that you have to hear these things from me, because I wish it wasn’t true. I wish I’d fallen in love with Yongsik and we’d gotten married and adopted 1.3 kids and lived in a white-picket fenced house in America and it would have been great.  I wish what I’m about to tell you wasn’t true. But it is, and, for that, I’m sorry, because it’s going to throw a monkey-wrench in your relationship with Chanyeol, and I don’t want it to hurt you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Jongdae, you’re scaring me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m sorry.  I’m so sorry, Baekhyun, but I think I’m in love with you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Baekhyun’s heart stopped.  He couldn’t breath. He couldn’t think.  He could barely stand. Actually, come to think of it, he couldn’t stand.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He started tipping backwards, but Jongdae’s hands on his biceps pulled him forward, crashing into his chest.  Baekhyun’s whole body was numb and he barely registered as Jongdae grappled with him in an attempt to keep him from smashing into the concrete.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Baekhyun!  Oh my god, are you okay?  Yongsik! Something’s wrong with Baekhyun!”  Yongsik was there in seconds, slowly lowering Baekhyun to the ground, laying him on his back.  He started checking all his vitals, making sure he was okay. He didn’t find anything weird, only a slightly sped up heart rate and a small flush across his cheeks.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll be right back.”  He leaned Baekhyun against the wall and went to go interrogate the others, trying to figure out if any of them knew if Baekhyun had anything going on currently that would make him freeze like this.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Baekhyun, I need you to talk to me.”  Jongdae’s voice was soft and scared, but it didn’t make Baekhyun worry about hurting him or want to reassure him that everything was okay in the way it normally did.  It just made him angry.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How dare you?”  Baekhyun voice was quiet, barely there.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How dare you?”  He slowly gained volume, struggling to push himself onto his feet.  Jongdae tried to keep him down, but Baekhyun pushed him off. “How dare you?!  My life was perfect! I had the perfect job, thousands of people to adore me, the perfect boyfriend!  Everything was exactly the way it needed to be! How dare you try and destroy that?! You’re a monster and a whore!  You don’t deserve anything you’ve gotten. You disgust me! I can’t believe you would say something so horrifying!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Baekhyun shoved Jongdae hard, making him trip and fall backwards, landing on his elbows.  He stared up at Baekhyun in fear, tears pricking the edges of his eyes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Get away from me.  I can’t even look at you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jongdae sat frozen, but when Baekhyun started shouting about him to get out of his sight, he scrambled away, cowering behind Yongsik for a few seconds to look behind him, but then dashing up the stairs on the bus.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Baekhyun collapsed back on the wall, gasping for breath.  What had he just done?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He never got a chance to collect himself, because Yongsik was disappearing up the stairs of the bus, Chanyeol’s face floated in and out of his vision, a look of horror and disgust in his eyes, and then the bus was gone.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And Baekhyun was alone.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Stranded.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>In China.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Pick up, pick up, pick up, pick up, pick up.”  Baekhyun paced around the gas station, whispering harshly at the person on the other end of the phone, even though they were probably about an hour away.  The young girl behind the counter had been polite enough to let him borrow her cell, even though he’d just motioned like a crazy person and practically shouted in Korean.  She had not understood Korean.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“喂，您好！”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Tao!  Oh, thank god.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ve been told not to talk to you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I need you to come get me.  I don’t know where they went and I’m stuck at a gas station somewhere.  I can send you the Google Maps link, but I need someone to come get me. You’re in China, right?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was silent and, for a second, Baekhyun thought Tao wasn’t actually going to talk to him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m in Hong Kong.  Nowhere near you. I’m sorry, but they told me what you did.  I’ll talk to you later, Baekhyun.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Click.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“For fucks sake!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Baekhyun angrily typed in the next number he could think of.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It got through about one and a half rings before, “I’m in Canada and you’re a dick.”  </span>
  <em>
    <span>Click.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Baekhyun screamed and almost threw the poor girl’s phone, but thought better at the last second, pulling it back to type in the last number he had.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Han!  I need-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay, we haven’t talked in about 3 months now, so you obviously called me last and I feel kind of like I should be offended.  Also, you’re an absolute asshole and I don’t really want to be associated with you, so I’m going to hang up now.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Han!  Stop!” It was silent for a few seconds, but the click never came.  “Please. I know you’re in Beijing. I do actually keep up with my friends.  And I know I’ve done something horrible, but I’m all alone and I’m scared and I want to fix everything.  But no one on the bus will answer and so I need help. Please.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was quiet again, and Baekhyun almost screamed.  Again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What’s in it for me?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ah.  Lu Han, always the swindler.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The satisfaction of knowing that you have helped one of your best friends?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No.  I’m going about two hours out of my way and doing something Minseok told me not to do, possibly jeopardizing our entire relationship, so you better give me something good.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Baekhyun restrained himself for making a joke about Luhan’s dick, and started to bargain.  After about twenty minutes of </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span>, a sleek black car pulled up in front of the store.  Baekhyun pushed the door open slightly, watching carefully as the front window rolled down.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Get in, asshole.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Baekhyun scrambled out of the store and into the front seat, hanging up on Han and leaving the poor girl’s phone on the shelf closest to him along with all 12 cents from his pockets.  When he turned to Han, he was already shifting gears to pull out.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wha-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I got in my car the minute I hung up with Minseok.  I know what you’ve done is awful, but I also know that you don’t actually think what you said, you’re just a bit in shock.  I </span>
  <em>
    <span>also</span>
  </em>
  <span> know how much it sucks to be abandoned by the people you love and trust the most.  I wasn’t going to just leave you here.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Baekhyun almost cried.  Almost.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Han caught him up on what’s been going on in his life for the past few months and said that he knew what Baekhyun had been doing, having kept a close watch on the whole EXO gang.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They ended up at Han’s house, Han explaining that he didn’t actually know where everyone was and, if he’d taken him straight there, it would probably make things worse.  So Baekhyun spent a day locked into Han’s guest room, Han bringing him food every hour and reassuring him that everything would be okay.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Baekhyun!  They’re here!”  Han’s voice startled Baekhyun awake.  He rubbed harshly at his eyes, trying to make the stinging of crying oneself to sleep go away.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Who?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Come down.  You’ll see.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Baekhyun dragged himself downstairs, not feeling in the mood to look presentable.  He’d been here for a total of three days now, and no one had called him yet. Beijing had been the last stop in the tour and, for some odd reason, they were going to travel by bus around the country for a few days before taking off.  The company said it was to try and avoid the fans swarming the airport, but it was probably more likely because none of them besides Yixing had ever actually had time to spend in China and they wanted them out of the way for a while.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Baekhyun was wearing one of Han’s sweaters that had been stretched after years of use.  He vaguely remembered Yixing giving it to him for his birthday one year. Han had cleaned his pants for him and so he was still in his own black skinny jeans, though they were comfier because Lu Han was the kind of person to use fucking fabric softeners on jeans.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He knew who it was the minute he entered the living room.  Chanyeol’s hair wasn’t dyed this time, just a faded red-ish blond hanging around from the last time he’d gotten it done, but Jongdae’s had been dyed a vibrant green at the roots, fading down to a darker shade at the ends.  It was very confusing to look at, but it matched the concept.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Baekhyun tried to spin around and escape back up the stairs, but Chanyeol must have heard him because he turned and the eye contact made him freeze.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He didn’t look mad or hurt or anything like that.  He looked sad and hopeful, as if Baekhyun had been missing for years and he’d finally found him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Baekhyun…”  His voice was scratchy, almost like he were about to start crying, but Baekhyun’s attention was stolen when Jongdae turned around.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He looked like hell.  His eyes were red and bloodshot, matching the bright red marks around his neck.  He had a habit of twisting his necklaces when he got nervous or scared and must have done that enough to leave bruises across the skin.  His face was pale, as if he was scared of Baekhyun, and he wouldn’t meet his eyes. One of his hands was gripping the edge of the couch so hard that his knuckles had turned white.  Baekhyun’s stomach churned. He had done this.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He had also made a decision.  Two days ago. He didn’t want to hurt Jongdae in the same way that he didn’t want to hurt Chanyeol.  Both of these people were so very important to him that he wouldn’t be able to stand losing either one of them.  Han had become his personal live-in therapist and, when he’d expressed all of his feelings to him, he’d laughed. He’d hit Baekhyun over the head and laughed into his shoulder.  When Baekhyun had asked what the fuck was wrong with him, Han had explained that Baekhyun was so stupidly in love with both of these people, he’d been in denial.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>So Baekhyun was left alone to figure out what to do with the fact that he was desperately in love with two people.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Baekhyun made his way around the couch, feeling all 6 eyes in the room following his movements, but his own never left Jongdae.  He sat down directly in front of him, his legs curled under himself, and smiled.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m sorry.  I’m so sorry, Jongdae, but I think I’m in love with you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was silent for a long time, but the smile never left Baekhyun’s face.  He was left to inspect the beautiful shine in Jongdae’s eyes as he realized what Baekhyun had just said.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And then Baekhyun was falling backwards, wrapped tightly in the arms of the boy in front of him, who’d thrown himself from the couch into Baekhyun’s lap.  He curled up into him, nuzzling into his neck. Baekhyun could feel slight tears dripping from his eyes, but he was too busy curling his fingers in Jongdae’s hair to bother with snot on Han’s sweater.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jongdae looked up eventually, a smile breaking across his face.  And Baekhyun did the only thing he could think to.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He kissed him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He had to tilt his neck at a weird angle as Jongdae’s face was a bit aways from his own, and Jongdae was frozen in surprise, but Baekhyun didn’t care.  He pushed him forward until Jongdae was straddling his lap, both of them sitting up now, and grabbed his face, kissing him softly and gently, practically begging for Jongdae to respond.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He finally did, his lips moving carefully, his hands reaching up to place on Baekhyun’s shoulders, both to keep himself steady and to pull Baekhyun closer.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Baekhyun practically melted at Jongdae’s touch, pulling him as close as physically possible and kissing him softly.  He was leading, which was okay, because it made the sound that came from Jongdae when Baekhyun’s teeth scraped across his bottom lip so much better.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It never got farther than that, because a hand on Baekhyun’s shoulder pulled him out of it, and he realised that his </span>
  <em>
    <span>boyfriend </span>
  </em>
  <span>was sitting there, watching him confess his love to and then make out with someone else.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Chanyeol, I-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That was hot as fuck…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Han laughed from across the room, startling all three of them to look at him.  Baekhyun had kind of forgotten he was there. “While I love that you all don’t hate each other and everything, I would much rather prefer it if you didn’t fuck in my living room.  My guest room is open for those kinds of activities, but the living room floor is not. Thanks.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>(They spent about 32 hours at Han’s, just a giant mess of emotions.  They talked through everything in the middle of the night, with their bodies curled around each other.  They cuddled and kissed and…</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Actually, they didn’t fuck, although Jongdae seemed antsy to get in someone’s pants.  They didn’t want to bother Han and, even though he was very open about the fact that he was having that room sterilized to hell and back once they left, they felt it would be stepping over a boundary they weren’t sure of yet.  There was always time for that later.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The last day came, and they all showered together, trading lazy kisses while they cleaned.  Chanyeol had been careful not to leave Jongdae and Baekhyun alone for long periods of time, but he did that morning, traveling around the house to help Han collect all of their things.  Jongdae was trying to get Baekhyun to wear a sweater, but he was too sleepy to really put in much of an effort.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Finally, Jongdae gave up and collapsed on top of Baekhyun, cuddling into his chest and nuzzling his neck.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Baekhyun?”  His voice was soft, careful.  Baekhyun ran his hands through Jongdae’s hair, calming him.  “I really do love you. And I’m sorry for telling you the way I did.  I should have been more careful.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was silent for a long time, Baekhyun running through his words until they were warped in his head and he wasn’t even sure if Jongdae had really said them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t apologize, Jongdae.  It was my fault that I reacted the way I did.  I’m sorry. And I love you, too.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And I love both of you, but we need to get going if we plan to catch the plane with everyone else.”  Chanyeol dragged them from the bed, wrapped them both in soft, loose shirts, shoved a stuffed animal into Jongdae’s hands, and lead them down the stairs.  A cab was waiting on the street, Han just packing up the last of the luggage.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>(“Goodbye, nerds.  Don’t hurt each other anymore, okay?  Love you.”)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They all piled into the back of the cab, Chanyeol delivered the address to the airport, and they took off, whizzing through the country streets of China.  Chanyeol, even though he was trying so hard to be collected, fell asleep on Jongdae almost instantly and pulled Baekhyun practically into his lap.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Baekhyun was happy.  Happier than he’d been in a long time.  And he hadn’t even noticed he was unhappy.  It was amazing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Thank God for China</span>
  </em>
  <span>.)</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Also, congratulations Jongdae!!! He’s getting married and their having a baby and I’m so excited for them!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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